Meet the installer

Security life with Lynden Jones of TouchStar ATC based in Manchester

What would be a typical project for you? At TouchStar we don’t really have a one size fits all approach, our projects are typically large scale and can cover one or many of our disciplines. As such, the projects we work on can range in size, from one door to multi door, multi-site operations, they can also span a wide number of sectors; anything from manufacturing and retail, through to education, healthcare, commercial and warehousing. That said, no matter what the size or scope of the project may be, we always deliver a complete end to end project management service covering consultation, design, installation and most importantly the ongoing support of a project.

Do you have any ‘go to’ technology and manufacturers? As a designer and manufacturer our goal is to provide a best fit and tailored solution, to this end we have the benefit of owning our own ‘go to’ inhouse technology, however we do integrate our technology with a small number of industry leading third party equipment providers. Integrating door systems, car park barriers, gates and turnstiles, our security hardware products include ievo biometric readers as well as hardware products from Abloy, FAAC, Avigilon, Hikvision and IDL. By working with a smaller number of best-in-class technology providers, this has enabled us to raise the bar in relation to the quality and scalability of solution we can provide, but also from a service perspective, the solutions are easier to support and manage.

What is the best thing about working in this industry? Relationships with customers, manufacturers and partners is a big part of what makes the industry great. When you have delivered a project within budget and on time, relationships stay strong, and it is great when people remain in contact even when they move on in the industry. As a business we have established many long-term relationships with our customers which in turn have become more of a partnership. For me, the ability to scale up, enhance and help support our customers as they grow their operations really is the most satisfying part of being involved in this industry.

Is third party accreditation beneficial? More than we appreciate sometimes. Certification isn’t about just selling that badge but knowing as an organisation you are not only operating to your own internal standards, but you are also working in the same way as others do and as others measure. Every renewal of every standard we hold brings the next list of improvements we can step up to. Maintaining accreditation with our governing bodies means we are growing with the requirement of the times. Do you think there is an engineer skills shortage? Any trouble recruiting? There is a shift in the employment industry from what I can see and I don’t think it is just restricted to engineers. Everybody is a part of this changing world and of late there have been many changes such as Brexit and COVID which people have had to accept and navigate We are lucky in that we have a well-established and loyal team, however I can see how the changes we have faced would make many reflect on things such as their quality of work/life balance or their financial position. Only when there is some level of stabilisation in the world will the market, customers, and staffing settle.

Name: Lynden Jones Job title: Managing Director Time in security/fire: 12 years Company: TouchStar ATC Location: Manchester Areas of expertise: Design, manufacture, installation and support of security solutions (access control, CCTV and intruder). Provision of Time and Attendance solutions

Accreditations: NSI Gold, Construction Line and Safe Contractor

Are there any common requests from customers that give you problems? For us, problems provide us with the opportunities to help grow and shape the products and solutions we offer. One of the most common ones is the expectation of value for money. At TouchStar, we always work hard to ensure that both ourselves and our customers have realistic expectations when it comes to the outcome of a project, whether it is indeed financial, technological or otherwise, when these expectations are not fully aligned that is when problems tend to occur.

What is the industry’s biggest myth? One of the main myths is the assumption that upgrading an access control solution means that everything needs replacing at the same time such as readers, cards and locks. In most instances, this is not the case and many systems can work with existing door furniture and sometimes even the same wiring. What impact has smart/home automation had on your business? A lot of the products we sell in the domestic market have been derived from the commercial world, but there are also many smart/home automation products that are not applicable to the commercial world. What is great is that there is a better understanding of the technology available within our market and the benefits they offer, however we can’t deny there will always be the commercial pressure associated with cheaper domestic products.

What would make your job easier? It would be great to see a national standard whereby a company is recognised as being to a particular standard, reputable and operating to agreed and fair pricing structure. This would not help raise standards within the industry, but ensure orders can be placed based on merits and not a free for all tender where the customer may be left with less than desirable options or a provider is forced to lower standards to meet cost pressures.

What is your ultimate/fantasy electronic security/fire product? The ultimate would be true AI and not just machine learning. Something that is tapped into everything and can rationalise any input and complete any check before making an action. Until then – it is the users that make technology perform at its best, ensuring they are trained to the highest of standards will allow for optimum performance.

What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself? As long as you are doing and doing to the best of your ability everything else will find its place. Never sit still and dream, but instead, plan, execute and review.

Will England ever win the World Cup again? I am not one for football or watching any game/ sport. The only thing I have to say about this is; if you can’t lose with dignity you don’t deserve to win and if you can’t win with integrity you don’t deserve to play.

If you won £25,000 what would you do with the money? Me personally I would invest in the younger version of me which is my son. He is bordering around this industry and has just started college. I am sure it would make his life easier if he had a leg up and I would encourage him to use it wisely. If this is for the business, I would invest in a young person to bring on board and teach our values to build them to be the best they can be.